Best Equestrian Camping near Culpeper, VA

BOTTOM LINE: 3.5 Stars. We had a fine time camping here, but probably would not stay again unless some friends were going and wanted to stay. Not bad, but not great and not my personal preference for camping. Any recommendation to stay would be dependent on what you're looking for--it might be for you, but just wasn't for us. 

Acknowledging that reviews are totally subjective, here is a brief summary of some of the pros and cons (in our humble opinion):[

PROS/CONS

Pros:

• Beautiful mountain views
• charming brook and farm (i.e. things to do for young kids), and okay hiking trails
• friendly campers and staff
• ease of check-in process
• low cost
• Can (technically) hike intro Shenandoah National Park

Cons:

• campground bathrooms and port-a-jons in poor condition
• street lights in primitive camping area
• yellow jacket nests in primitive camping area (with no warning signs)
• the gnats and flies were bad (way worse than I've ever experienced; probably due to the horse and cow poop)
• decent amount of horse/cow manure in the primitive camping area
• camping area is mixed with RVs, equestrian trailers, & tent campers
• camping area was restricted to a smaller area, forcing camps a little too close together (so much room that wasn't allowed for pitching camp and spreading out)
• few trees in camping area (more of an open field)
• 35-40 min drive to either entrance of Shenandoah National Park (then you still have to drive to the trail you want to hike)

Again, we recognize a lot is subjective; but it just wasn't for us. We'd camp here again if others wanted to, but wouldn't choose to come back.

I'm happy to elaborate on any particular bullets.

HELPFUL TIPS:

• Sites are first come, first served -- there are a few "primo" spots, but get there before noon to nab them
• There is local firewood available at the General Store/Post Office in Syria, VA (~0.2 mi from campground); about $7/bundle (you'll probably need 3-4 bundles for a night)
• Use trees to block out some of the light from street lights (only a handful of spots can do this bc few trees); or try to get a spot as far away as you can get
• For kids, there is a duck pond, chicken coop, shallow brook, disable farm tractor, and some other stuff to play with/on/in across the street near the lodge.
• Free range horses (they're penned-in) come back at dusk and head out at dawn -- fun to watch from the campground, especially for kiddos
• Bring your own water, if possible

I grew up going to this campground. It's located in Gordonsville, Virginia. There's not much to do in the area, but the campground itself is nice.

There is a nice pool, arcade, camp store, horse riding, and the camp sites are pretty nice.

All around good place to camp.

Lovely time in the yurt! Walked around the property and saw the horses and checked out the primitive sites.

Salt water pool, horse rides, go karts, mini golf. Definitely more than a campground. It’s actually a Bluegreen Resort. Cabins are awesome and equipped with everything you need. Onsite restaurant/tavern is great. Also you can paddle around the lake - small boats avail for rent.

We have stayed here several times. Big beautiful paved sites with furniture to boot. Complete with gas grills and outdoor sinks. Plenty to do at the resort..... Kayak, putt putt, tennis, swim in one of the pools, hot tub, work out in the gym, walk on trails, ride horses, take a carriage ride or eat at the "real" restaurant. My favorite campground hands down!

Beautiful sunsets over the stables and horse pastures. We reserved a “pull-through” RV site which ended up being a back-in site that was very uneven and nowhere near level. Also, after staying for two weeks, the bathhouse next to our site was closed because of lack of electricity. Which forced us to drive up to the indoor pool (nice) and use the showers there. Inconvenient, but we made it work.

Looked forward to camping at Graves Mountain and enjoy the festivities. The campsite is very very small. They say dispersed, but it is a small field as you can not access the others fields. Horse trailers, rvs, tents, and overland trailers all park right next that to each other. We set up away from everyone to properly distance ourselves due to their covid protocols. They told us to move next to others but there was no space. We got our money back and moved to another site. I would avoid this campsite. If you want to visit it for the apple or Fall festival just camp somewhere else and drive to it. No amenities. No cell service.

We camped several nights in our 23ft. travel trailer.  Our site A85 was just long enough to fit our trailer and truck. We were able to use our generator at this site.  The bathroom  was just a short walk away.  There are no hookups in this campground.   We did drive to the shower house and paid a fee to take a shower.  They were clean and even though the campground was nearly full we never had to wait in line.  We also did our laundry one evening. The machines were all working and it was quite reasonably priced.  Big Meadows campground is so conveniently located to the Visitor's center and many local trails. The horse stables were just down the road.  The lodge/restaurant was near the campground and we enjoyed a special dinner out one evening on the deck overlooking the beautiful Luray Valley.

We were there in March so it was still a bit cold and not really sitting outside and enjoy it weather. The campground was nice and very clean. Our site was not exactly level but I think it was because we were in the first spot on a row and it had a slant. The others looked pretty level. The staff everywhere was amazing and eager to please. I can’t say enough good about the hospitality there! The sites were full hookup. A grill and table and chairs were also available. A fire ring was there also. The laundry facility was very nice and clean... and free. We didn’t take advantage of the multiple activities there but we did see people riding horses. Looked like a good time! We drove about 25 minutes to the Monticello and enjoyed it a lot! Would definitely stay again if we ever find ourselves in the area.

This resort is 5 Star in amenities. Indoor pool in the lodge, restaurant, outdoor pool connected to the indoor one. Another outdoor pool area by the general store (wasn't open yet) has a large pool and kids pool. The activities center has things going on every day. They also have a large room with a large screen that you can reserve to watch movies. There is a stable for horse riding. Also, there's miniature golf. They have cabins, yurts,and a tree house for rent. The laundry is free. Our campsite, lowest level, has a table with four chairs, two Adirondack chairs, and a propane grill. The higher level has an outdoor sink. The top level has a jacuzzi. The grounds are well designed for landscaping and kept trimmed. Now, for the cons. Our back- in site isn't level. We were told that is by design so water will flow off. Maybe. Our loop doesn't have any bathhouse, while the one next door has two. We did take a shortcut that went over a clay hill. Probably not safe if it's raining. The shower looks nice. Would stay drier if people would put the curtain inside the barrier. Shelves and benches in the showers are nice. Water pressure is mediocre to good. We're still waiting for hot water. I do say the help keeps it clean. There are sanitizer bottles left in the bathrooms and showers. Overall, it is a nice place to sit and relax.

We have found municipal campgrounds in Northern Virginia are a bit spendy for being government sponsored.  Not as bad as South Carolina, but way more than Florida.  Fine.  Comes with the territory.  But Bull Run manages to goose you even more.  There are occupancy AND transaction fees that really add up if you're only there a few nights.  But the real kicker is a 2-night minimum stay.  Even mid-week.  In APRIL for gosh sakes!

While we were here, there was a fairly heavy day of rain.  Couple inches, I suppose, but nothing Biblical.  The mouths of the metal culverts in our loop were bent downward from campers driving over them, which obstructed the flow.  Result was lots of standing water at our campsite.

We're done with NOVA Parks campgrounds.  Better cost options exist with Fairfax County Parks.

Great site to camp. Dog friendly. Bathrooms available. Lodge close by if food, warmth, or better restroom desired.

We stayed here in August 2021. There was only one other camper there so we had plenty of privacy. We enjoyed the peace and quiet and the lovely mountain views. We also enjoyed access to potable water to fill our tank. I was quite grateful we had brought our own port-a-potty because the one provided at the farm was filthy. We didn’t try to go in the bathhouse after seeing how nasty the port-a-potty was. I would only suggest staying here if you’re just passing through and only need a place to pull over.

The listing made this place sound really exciting and convenient. When we arrived the store/clubhouse/bunkhouse? Was very cute and friendly, once we visited the camping area we were quickly disappointed. It was essentially a 500’x500’ field with little to no trees, hills, anything except buildings. We went on a windy weekend and do more tent camping, and quickly realized this kind of exposure is not what we wanted. I think the current campsite layout would be appropriate for those with trailers/campers with indoor space stopping though. I wouldn’t consider this much of a campsite, more of a field to park and sleep. We were very exited for our trip out here, and ended up going to Elizabeth furnace an hour away and got a much more private/established campsite, that was also free.

We stayed at a "group" site D167, which allows up to 15 people and 4 cars. While the campground is very nice, with clean conveniently located bathrooms, the site itself is probably not suited for a large group of people. First of all, it's located in the middle of a large patch of grass right next to other family campsites, so no privacy at all. If you travel with friends you might want to stay up a little longer and have a good laugh around the fire, but this site isn't really designed this way. The quiet hours are after 10PM and it's enforced. Second, the space is really limited, especially if your group members have larger tents. Also, there's no overflow parking, except at the entrance to the campground.

The showers are nice and clean, but they are coin operated.

The rangers are very strict. We had some food related items left on the table (salt/pepper shakers) and they were confiscated while we were hiking. I'm not saying it's wrong, but be aware, because these rules are not enforced at the same level in different places. We ended up with a $80 fine.

Also, since this is a national park, you cannot bring the firewood from outside, have to buy it in the park.

Other than that, we enjoyed our stay. The campground location allow an easy access to many trails within Shenandoah National Park, as well as close by, such as our favorite Old Rag Mountain. It's also technically a part of the NP, so keep your entrance receipt to show at the Old Rag's parking lot.

Make sure you taste blackberry ice cream at the general store at the entrance. It's a local specialty and it's delicious!!!

My partner and our two dogs camped here for a weekend in a tent. Some of the sites are much better than others, a lot are closer together than I'd like. It is a really excellent spot to camp at in the summer as the temperatures are much cooler on the mountain. The bathrooms near the sites do not have showers. The showers are coin operated, pretty far away (we drove) and are only open for very limited hours. Overall, a great spot if you get the right campsite but overpriced. The price to camp, the firewood and the ice are all expensive. The tent sites have a fire ring with a grate. There is no grill so be sure to bring a camp stove, no one wants to have to start three fires a day just to eat.

Well kept campsites, clean facilities, close camp store for limited supplies, ice, etc. close to bigger Wayside store at Big Meadows VC along with only gas station in Shenandoah NP.

This is my favorite campground, and general area, in Shenandoah National Park. The campground is nice and well kept. The tent sites are pretty spaced out, but the RV sites are pretty close together. The bathhouses are adequate and clean, but quite small. There was a wait sometimes for the men’s room even. The staff was friendly, but beware: they are very strict and unwavering in their enforcement of bear safety regulations. LEAVE NO FOOD OR KITCHEN ITEMS UNATTENDED EVER. We saw much revenue generated for the NPS that weekend by inattentive campers.

Big Meadows is centrally located in the park and close to many big attractions. I suggest stony man trail and dark hollow falls, both relatively short hikes to an overlook and nice waterfall, respectively. For a great treat hike down (uphill all the way coming back!) to Rapidan camp, the historic predecessor to Camp David. Try to time your hike with a bus tour to get a guided look inside the restored camp buildings. The visitor center has a great museum as well.

Lots of wildlife to see. Deer, Bear and more. Spectacular place! We hammock camper the for two nights.

If you don’t like crowded campgrounds, this isn’t for you. It’s a hopping place! Rolled up on a Wednesday with a reserved site for 2 nights and they easily switched me to a FF site so I could stay the weekend. On my 2nd morning I discovered that the AT was about 30 feet from my tent. There are some trails you can do from the campground, I highly suggest AllTrails Pro. It came in handy for my stay here. Another thing I liked about this site is that it’s halfway through the park, so if you’re into scenic driving it’ll be good for you. I didn’t make it all the way north, but when I was headed home I drove the full 50 miles south on skyline drive. Hazel top overlook is a few miles south of here, you can catch a good sunset.

This was a great campground location to many, many National Park Trails. Our stay was during the last week of September. We met up with family who live in the area and got 3 sites hugging the AT. We pitched two large tents on our E178 site and a hammock in the trees just beyond our fire pit. My brother had a large tent on site E177 and it was just as nice. Our third site E176 was across the road from us flanked by travel trailer campers. That site had less privacy, but gave us a shorcut path to the running water bathroom. There was a sign in the bathroom that said it was ok to pour filter dishwater down the toilets, so we did that quite a bit to keep our campsites clean and safe from bears. My favorite sites were E177 and E178. They were a good size and distance from the other sites. We were close to the water pump and running water bathrooms. The pay showers were a bit of a walk from us, but they were clean. We liked having a nearby store, visitor's center, and gas station at this campground. In the evenings we went to the big meadow to watch the wildlife a few nights.Site E178 had great sunrise vistas through the trees. We positioned our chairs to face the valley and pretended there wasn't a packed campground full of families. It was actually pretty peaceful until the weekend which got rowdy at full capacity.The parking pad is level, on E178 but the grassy area was slightly sloped for our tents. I thought it was not too bad of a tradeoff for the view, but if you've ever slid down on your pad or cot a bit, you might not like it. My brother was at the adjoining site E177 and while his parking pad had a slight slope, he had a fairly level spot for his big tent.

There were bear lockers at each site (about 50 in x 34 in) and we never had any bears visit while we were there. The bear lockers were great for us since we were tent camping and our vehicle was a pickup truck, so we did not have to juggle messing with coolers/food in the truck cab. Deer came through the campground every morning right up to our tents, which was delightful, except it made me paranoid checking for ticks every night. I really enjoyed being right off the Appalachian Trail and enjoyed seeing a few through-hikers each day while we made campfire feasts.

We brought USDA wood and another camper gave us a few cords of USDA wood he brought from GA when he left. We did purchase one bundle from the campground and it was pretty green, so it burned smokey. The cost was about the same as it is at Lowes or anywhere else like that. We enjoyed multiple hikes and had a group with different hiking abilities, but there were many great Shendoah sites to see that we all could enjoy, including the group's dogs. Shenandoah is one of the few National Parks that allows dogs on most of the trails (leashed of course.) We had two dogs in our group and enjoyed seeing the other dogs in the campground. There was only one instance when we noticed someone bagged their dog poop on a trail, but left the poop in the bag. People!

Because of Covid-19, the ranger programs at this campground were cancelled. I would return again, but maybe choose dispersed camping for a better view and less people.

Very crowded site. Lots of deer and chipmunks.

Pick your sister carefully..

Big Meadows Campgrounds is largely unchanged from the way the CCC designed it in the 1930s. There are two sections of the campground the ABC loops and the more RV oriented upper letter loops. The other reviews are right when they say it is big and crowded. We were staying in the B loop Tuesday through Friday the last week of the season in 2020, and Thursday night was a pretty much a constant stream of new arrivals.

The RV loops were full throughout the week. There was availability during the week for all the lodges. Although during Covid, the lodges seemed like an unnecessary risk considering the volume of park goers. We had planned to tent camp and stuck with that plan.

Couple big differences between the upper loops and the ABC loops. The upper loops are wooded and offer some shade. The ABC loops have partial shade walk in sites along the A loop and B and C and D are very much meadow offering very little shade or protection from wind and it does get quite windy.

When we set out to choose our site, we walked the loop to get the best sense of each site. B was a no generator loop so we stuck with these sites. We were followed closely by a family of four deer who really didn’t care about our presence. When we found our site it had a little tent clearing surrounded by tall grass. Chipmunks and birds flitting about. It was kinda like a Disney film tbh.

We had neighbors the whole time and you are so close it is good to introduce yourselves. The bonus of that is trading ideas and rec’s about good hikes, what to try at the wayside, and what to avoid crowd wise. During our four days we did a longer version of hawksbill and dark hallow falls and a few nature trails including the deer trails in the Big Meadow. We also made time each day to explore via car the skyline drive.

It is important to understand this park was designed to be experienced with a car where you can drove from hike to hike, overlook to overlook, stopping for picnics and taking in the protected wilderness. Whatever the season this design works to an astonishing degree towards inspiring awe and peace. You always feel like a guest in this space and that humbling relationship offers plenty to contemplate on the long slow drives through the park.

Our final morning was spent meandering through the deer trails of the big meadow at sunrise. The deer grazing mere feet from you. Three nights was too short, we will be back to experience another season.

Stayed for 3 nights and thoroughly enjoyed it. Each campsite included a fire pit and a picnic table. The tent sites also had bear boxes to store your foods. Place was very clean and quiet. I would definitely recommend this place for anyone who is interested.